


In Your Arms

by ZuviosGemini



Series: Gobblepot Tumblr Prompts [12]
Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: Angst, Bisexual Jim, Getting Back Together, Innuendo, M/M, Vague AU, domestic AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-15
Updated: 2015-03-15
Packaged: 2018-03-17 22:54:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,046
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3546800
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZuviosGemini/pseuds/ZuviosGemini
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jim really needed to learn to not say everything that came to mind when he was angry.</p>
            </blockquote>





	In Your Arms

**Author's Note:**

> Written as a prompt for an anon on tumblr: "they get back together after a nasty nastiest fight. angsty!" Read/like/reblog that [here.](http://driftsbodaciousthighs.tumblr.com/post/113669956829/)

Jim knew the second the words left his mouth that he had made a huge mistake. Oswald had stared at him, eyes wide in shock and anger, and then without a word, had gone into the bedroom, grabbed a few things, thrown them in a bag, and had walked out the front door. No biting comments, no angry glances. Just the sound of the door slamming, and then deafening silence.

A week passed and Oswald still didn’t come back. Not even a phone call. Jim had no idea where to even look for him. His mother hadn’t seen him, or at least that was what she said. Jim didn’t want to push her, but he wasn’t stupid. He saw one of Oswald’s shirts sitting folded on the top of a pile of laundry. It was one of the shirts he had grabbed before storming out. He thanked her and left before she got too territorial. If Oswald was staying there, then she no doubt knew about their fight and was not as pleased to see him as she had implied.

After the door shut, Oswald came out of his old bedroom, looking ten years younger in an old sweater, jeans, and plain white socks. His mother gathered him to her and hugged him tight.

“I’m sorry this happened, my darling.” She said, her heavy accent comforting in his ear. “I am certain he didn’t mean those things he said.”

Oswald inhaled her familiar perfume, sagging more against her.

“It doesn’t change the fact that he said them…” He mumbled.

* * *

Jim sat at home on the couch, a glass in his hand. The TV was on for little more than background noise. He wasn’t really watching it. He couldn’t focus on it if he tried. He just kept hearing the fight in his head, over and over. He sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. The house was so empty and quiet, and it was making him go stir crazy.

He started leaving the TV on when he was home. It was probably driving the electricity bill through the roof, but he didn’t care. He missed the sound of Oswald’s uneven steps around the kitchen as he cooked dinner. He missed hearing his voice say ‘good morning’, all groggy and slurred. The kisses when he left for work, the texts during the day, being able to come home after a long day and be able to pull his boyfriend close, and squeeze him so tight that he’d protest.

He slumped further on the couch, knowing he needed a shower and not caring. He had already called work and told them he wasn’t coming tomorrow. He didn’t have anywhere to be. He knocked back his glass and then poured himself another drink.

* * *

It was after calling in to work for 3 days straight that Harvey showed up at Jim’s house. Jim almost wanted to shut the door in his partner’s face. Honestly, he knew he looked like shit, but did Harvey have to give him that look?

“Jesus, what happened to you?” Harvey said. Jim sighed and stepped back so he could come inside. After the door had shut, Harvey took in the state of the house. Dishes sitting in the sink and on the coffee table, empty food containers sitting out on the counters, Jim’s shoes sitting unorganized in the entry way, some of his clothes sitting across the back of the couch…

“Okay and what the hell happened in here?” Harvey asked, fists on his hips. Oswald would never let the house get into such disarray. Unless…

“Where’s your boyfriend?” He asked. The way Jim’s shoulders slumped told him what he needed to know. Oswald didn’t like Harvey too much, but he tolerated him when he came over, so Harvey had accidentally witnessed little spats between Jim and Oswald from time to time. Nothing huge, but there was definitely some tension in the house. It seems the pot had finally boiled over.

“So what’d you fight about?” Harvey asked as Jim walked past him to pick up some of his dishes from the coffee table. Harvey hadn’t been too thrilled when he learned about Jim’s boyfriend, wasn’t sure if he would be good for his partner following his bad break up with Barbara Kean, but after a while, he saw the change in Jim. It was a good change, but he and Oswald obviously still had some communication issues.

“I… I got angry and said some stupid shit, and he left. I know he’s at his mom’s apartment, but she’s so over-protective that I know if I tried to talk to him right now, she’d probably bash my brains in with a frying pan or something.”

Harvey nodded, sitting himself down on the couch.

“So is it over, or are you just taking a break?” He asked, moving some of the clothes on the back of the couch so he could sit back. He heard dishes being put in the sink, the water running, and then Jim reentered the room.

“I don’t know. He didn’t say anything when he left. Just packed a bag and stormed out.”

Harvey made a clicking sound with his tongue and stood up again, shoving his hands in his pockets.

“You might need to talk to him at some point then. Get that sorted out before it festers too long. I mean how long have you been together, five years? Four and some odd months? You willing to throw that away because you don’t have the balls to apologize?”

Jim nodded, taking a deep breath. Harvey was right. He had put too much time and effort into his relationship. Oswald meant too much to him, and he wasn’t just going to sit back and wait for him to come back. He had an apology to make.

* * *

The day after Harvey’s visit, Jim got cleaned up and headed over to Mrs. Kapelput’s apartment. He knocked on the door and after a few seconds, she answered the door.

“Jim.” She said, her smile thin. “Can I help you?”

“Mrs. Kapelput, I know Oswald is here. Can you please ask him if he’ll come and talk to me? Please?”

Mrs. Kapelput’s smile faded and she pursed her lips, crossing her arms as she made sure her whole frame filled the doorway. Jim kept eye contact with her until she rolled her eyes, held up a finger, and shut the door again. The 5 minutes that went by felt like eons to Jim, and when the knob finally turned, and Oswald himself opened the door, Jim’s heart skipped a beat and then dropped into his stomach.

Oswald did not look happy to see him, taking the same stance that his mother had taken when she had answered the door. Jim cleared his throat awkwardly, looking down at his shoes to avoid his boyfriend’s needle sharp gaze.

“I was hoping you’d come talk to me.” He said. Oswald didn’t respond, shifting his weight a bit. When Jim looked up, Oswald was looking at his feet as well. Looking past his boyfriend let Jim see Mrs. Kapelput lurking in the kitchen, clearly eavesdropping but trying to seem like she was doing no such thing.

“Look, can we talk in private? I’d be more comfortable if your mother wasn’t listening in.” He said perhaps a little too loud, because Mrs. Kapelput jumped and made a hasty exit from the room. Oswald sighed and went back into the apartment, leaving the door open, implying that Jim should follow.

“Mother, I know you have grocery shopping to do. Could you please give me and Jim some privacy for this conversation?” He said, and Mrs. Kapelput came back into the room, still eying Jim like he was being irksome just by standing there.

“Very well, my darling.” She said, grabbing her purse. “I will be gone one hour. Then I will be home.” She gave his cheek a kiss and brushed by Jim on her way out. When the door shut, Oswald crossed his arms again.

“Do you have something you’d like to say to me, Jim?”

Oswald had this way of keeping his voice soft even when he was pissed, and he was doing it to Jim. The detective rubbed a hand over his short hair nervously, looking up and meeting Oswald’s gaze.

“I came by to apologize. I shouldn’t have said what I said, and me having a bad temper is no excuse. I know I can’t take it back, but I still wanted to say I was sorry.”

Oswald finally faltered, his mouth twitching a little.

“Why did you say those things to me?” He asked, a shake in his voice. His eyes were brighter than usual which meant he was on the verge of tears, and Jim wanted nothing more than to gather him to his chest and hold him tight. Instead he curled his hand into a fist, his nails pressing crescents into his palm.

“I don’t know. I say stupid shit when I get angry, and I always regret it. I didn’t mean a word of it.”

Oswald looked away from him, his jaw tight as he sniffled.

“Really?” He asked in a small voice, and Jim couldn’t just stand there anymore. He took a step forward and grasped Oswald by his upper arms, squeezing him gently and feeling how he tensed up.

“Yes, I swear I didn’t mean it. The things I say out of anger are irrational and stupid, and I know I need to work on controlling it.”

Oswald still wouldn’t look at him so Jim pulled him close, tucking his boyfriend’s head under his chin, heaving a deep breath at the feeling of Oswald’s hair against his throat. He had missed it more than he thought.

“I would never ever hurt you intentionally. Accidents happen, things get said, but I want to make sure that it doesn’t happen as often, and eventually not at all.”

The smaller man, who had had his arms crossed even as Jim held him, finally moved and wrapped his arms around Jim’s middle, holding him tight. The detective adjusted his arms so he had Oswald as enclosed as possible, and rocked him gently, absorbing his presence like it was water and he was a sponge.

“I’m sorry, Os.” Jim said. “I’m so sorry. I’d never hurt you. You have no idea how much I’ve missed you.”

Oswald only gripped him tighter, shaking slightly. Jim leaned back so he could look at him properly, kissing the side of his head, keeping his face there until Oswald shifted, lifting his face from where he had buried it in Jim’s shoulder.

“I’ve missed you.” Oswald said, kissing Jim with such fervor that he pushed him back a few steps, almost sending them over the back of the couch. Jim responded in kind, shifting so he could loop his arms around Oswald’s waist. He would have picked him up, but he had seen how badly Oswald was limping today. He didn’t want to cause him to be in more pain by lifting him and making him bend his leg the wrong way.

The man in question was still kissing Jim with everything he had, digging his fingers into the back of Jim’s neck and scraping his blunt nails over the skin, making Jim gasp against his mouth.

“Can please we go home?” Oswald asked, making a noise that was part irritation, part arousal when Jim slipped a hand into his hair, gripping it. Oh well, it was going to get messed up anyway probably.

“Yeah we should go.” Jim answered out of breath. His eyes were blown wide which made Oswald smile for selfish reasons. Maybe he should stay away more often, since it affected Jim so terribly. Oswald kissed him some more before Jim begged him to stop so they could actually get home.

“Make up sex is great, but I’d rather your mother not come home and interrupt it.” Jim said as they made their way downstairs to his car. Oswald had attached himself to Jim’s side, keeping his face pressed into Jim’s neck as best as he could as they walked, occasionally kissing the warm skin there.

It was going to be a long ride home.


End file.
